iain.davidson100 has added a photo to the pool:

Marco Rubio pulls plug on traditional photo op at meeting of foreign ministers after about one-third of countries threaten boycott

The traditional “family photo” to open the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting has been abruptly cancelled in the US after a host of nations – including Australia and the UK – refused to appear beside the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov.

The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, pulled the plug after several European officials, the UK and Australia made it known they would boycott or walk out of the snapshot that often kicks off such international gatherings.

Continue reading...

When the Guardian visited the Maungakiekie electorate, two themes emerge: a grudging fealty to the National party and growing support for minor parties

It’s a hot spring day in the Auckland suburb of Onehunga, and the main strip is starting to hum with life. Builders slip into a bakery for a snack, retirees chat over coffee outside cafes and a shoeless man zips by on a scooter.

There are few signs New Zealand’s general election is looming along this shopping strip but Onehunga and neighbouring suburbs that make up the electorate Maungakiekie, will be closely watched when New Zealand heads to the polls on 7 November.

Continue reading...

The rounding up of customers at a gay bar weeks before Saturday’s Pride festival has some questioning the island’s progressive image

Josh was having a drink at Commander D, a popular gay bar in Taipei, on a Saturday afternoon when several police officers suddenly burst in. “Squat down and don’t move,” they shouted. Bewildered, he looked around to see the bar owner being handcuffed and forced to his knees.

The 28-year-old was among 51 customers to be rounded up and taken away for questioning over suspected breaches of public decency rules.

Continue reading...

Weer voor Rotterdam 🌕 - 31-10-2026 01:15 CET

In één oogopslag:
• 8.0°C · Licht bewolkt 🌕 | Min 6.7°C / Max 10.0°C

Verwachting voor vandaag:
• Min 6.7°C, Max 10.0°C (Mist) 🌫️, 🧭 1032.6 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 11.5 km/u (3.2 m/s), richting: ← 78°

Uurlijkse voorspelling voor de komende 12 uur:

• 02:00: 7.6°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1032.6 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 10.1 km/u (2.8 m/s), richting: ↙ 58°
• 03:00: 7.0°C (Mist) 🌫️, 🧭 1032.4 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 10.4 km/u (2.9 m/s), richting: ← 74°
• 04:00: 6.8°C (Mist) 🌫️, 🧭 1032.0 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 10.8 km/u (3.0 m/s), richting: ← 83°
• 05:00: 6.8°C (Mist) 🌫️, 🧭 1031.7 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 10.1 km/u (2.8 m/s), richting: ← 77°
• 06:00: 6.7°C (Mist) 🌫️, 🧭 1031.9 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 9.0 km/u (2.5 m/s), richting: ↙ 62°
• 07:00: 6.9°C (Mist) 🌫️, 🧭 1032.1 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 10.1 km/u (2.8 m/s), richting: ← 75°
• 08:00: 6.8°C (Mist) 🌫️, 🧭 1032.8 hPa ↗️ +0.7 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 11.5 km/u (3.2 m/s), richting: ← 91°
• 09:00: 7.0°C (Mist) 🌫️, 🧭 1033.1 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 10.1 km/u (2.8 m/s), richting: ← 84°
• 10:00: 7.3°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1033.4 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 9.7 km/u (2.7 m/s), richting: ← 81°
• 11:00: 7.7°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1033.5 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 10.8 km/u (3.0 m/s), richting: ← 89°
• 12:00: 8.4°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1033.3 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 11.5 km/u (3.2 m/s), richting: ← 95°
• 13:00: 8.8°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1033.1 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 11.5 km/u (3.2 m/s), richting: ← 97°

Voorspelling voor de komende dagen:

• zondag 01 november: Min 6.1°C, Max 12.5°C (Lichte motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 0.4 mm, Kans op neerslag 1%, 🧭 1032.0 hPa ↘️ -0.6 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 8.3 km/u (2.3 m/s), richting: ↘ 331°
• maandag 02 november: Min 8.8°C, Max 12.8°C (Matige motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 2.3 mm, Kans op neerslag 14%, 🧭 1031.4 hPa ↘️ -0.6 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 16.9 km/u (4.7 m/s), richting: ↓ 14°
• dinsdag 03 november: Min 5.7°C, Max 10.5°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 1%, 🧭 1032.0 hPa ↗️ +0.6 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 15.3 km/u (4.2 m/s), richting: ↙ 56°
• woensdag 04 november: Min 5.2°C, Max 8.8°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1032.9 hPa ↗️ +0.9 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 16.3 km/u (4.5 m/s), richting: ← 72°
• donderdag 05 november: Min 3.2°C, Max 8.3°C (Gedeeltelijk bewolkt) ⛅, 🧭 1029.7 hPa ↘️ -3.2 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 13.6 km/u (3.8 m/s), richting: ↙ 67°
• vrijdag 06 november: Min 2.3°C, Max 8.0°C (Gedeeltelijk bewolkt) ⛅, 🧭 1025.6 hPa ↘️ -4.1 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 13.9 km/u (3.9 m/s), richting: ↙ 66°

Details:
• 🌡️ Huidige temperatuur (om 01:15): 8.0°C (Licht bewolkt)
• 🤚 Gevoelstemperatuur: 5.3°C (-2.7°C)
• 💨 Windsnelheid: 10.8 km/u (3.0 m/s), richting: ← 68°
• 🌬️ Windstoten: 19.4 km/h (5.4 m/s)
• 💧 Luchtvochtigheid: 96%
• 🧭 Luchtdruk: 1032.6 hPa ↘️ -0.6 hPa/3h
• 👁️ Zichtbaarheid: 3.4 km
• ☀️ UV-index: 0.0
• 🌅 Zonsopgang: 07:34 · 🌇 Zonsondergang: 17:16

Luchtkwaliteit:
• AQI: 77 🟡 (Matig)
• PM2.5: 24.5 μg/m³
• PM10: 29.8 μg/m³

Gegevens geleverd door Open-Meteo

#Rotterdam #Meteo #MeteoBot #MeteoNetherlands #OpenMeteo #FediMeteo

Vanillasludge posted a photo:

Sergiy Galyonkin has added a photo to the pool:

Two miniature figures look over a model city, with a blue model car in the foreground, at Small Worlds Tokyo, Japan. July 2026.

Meta has reached an undisclosed settlement in another social media addiction lawsuit, avoiding a trial scheduled for next month and leaving Snap as the sole remaining defendant. Engadget reports: The lawsuit was brought by an 18-year-old woman from Mississippi known as K.D.B who, according to Reuters, has "described staying awake for hours scrolling social media, losing focus in class and engaging in self-harm using methods shown in social media videos." Jury selection kicked off earlier this week in Los Angeles.

On Friday, K.D.B's lawyer announced that she had reached a settlement with Meta after previously settling with TikTok and YouTube. "We remain committed to improving safety for kids on social media apps and holding tech companies accountable, and we are pleased to have brought this matter to a just resolution on behalf of our client," attorney Emily Jeffcott said in a statement.

Now, Snap is the only remaining defendant in the case. CEO Evan Spiegel is expected to testify in the trial that could last several weeks. If he does take the stand, it will be the first time the Snap founder has appeared in a social media addiction trial. Snap previously settled in another high-profile case involving similar claims. A jury later ruled against Meta and YouTube in the trial and the two were ordered to pay $6 million in damages.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

In an opinion piece for 404 Media, Matthew Gault argues that Apple has entered its "slop era," abandoning its reputation for innovative hardware in favor of recycled ideas and questionable design choices. Here's an excerpt: My ears perked up when I heard Apple's new foldable phones were cracking. I licked my lips when the company announced it's releasing a touch-screen laptop. This was a company that once charged $19 for a polishing cloth, asked $200 for a VESA mount, and sold $700 wheels for the Mac Pro. Now it's borrowing tired ideas from its competitors and launching hardware its previous leaders rejected.

The once dominant company is struggling to find its feet in an AI-driven post-Tim Cook world. John Ternus is the new CEO -- a 25 year veteran of the company with a track record of pushing harebrained hardware schemes like the much reviled Touch Bar and lawsuit inducing butterfly keyboard.

With Ternus at the helm, I feel there's a good chance Apple's best days are behind it, that it will have to make do with less, that it's declasse. Apple, blindsided by AI and relying on crowdpleasing hardware gimmicks, is downwardly mobile. It's in its slop era. The company that once asked consumers to "Think Different" is now releasing hardware that's just like everything else on the market.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

HELMOND (ANP) - Twee bewoners zijn in de nacht van vrijdag op zaterdag gewond geraakt bij een steekincident in een woning aan het Soesterbergplein in Helmond. Dat meldt de politie op X.

De politie heeft in de directe omgeving van het Soesterbergplein een man aangehouden. Hij zit vast.

De gewonden krijgen medische hulp. De politie doet onderzoek naar de toedracht.

N i e u w bericht, meer informatie over training na 4e alinea

MEXICO-STAD (ANP) - Max Verstappen heeft in de tweede vrije training voor de Grote Prijs van Mexico-Stad de vijfde tijd gereden. Hij kon door schade aan de vloer van zijn Red Bull niet maximaal presteren.

Charles Leclerc van Ferrari reed evenals in de eerste training de snelste ronde op het hooggelegen Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Hij was net iets rapper dan Lando Norris van McLaren en George Russell van Mercedes. Kimi Antonelli klokte de vierde tijd.

Verstappen had vroeg in de sessie een aanvaring met Liam Lawson. De Nieuw-Zeelander van Racing Bulls wilde niet wijken voor de Nederlander, die boos reageerde en pareerde door in een volgende bocht de auto van Lawson af te snijden. De Red Bull raakte bij die agressieve actie wel een stuk van zijn bodemplaat kwijt. Dat beïnvloedde de snelheid van zijn auto.

Verstappen en Lawson zullen na de training bij de stewards van de FIA uitleg moeten geven over hun 'gevaarlijke rijgedrag'.

Antonelli was donderdag nog ziek en afwezig op de mediadag, maar bleek fit genoeg om een dag later in zijn Mercedes te stappen voor de trainingen. De 20-jarige Italiaan wordt zondag de jongste wereldkampioen ooit in de Formule 1 als hij in de grand prix in de top 9 eindigt.

Verstappen ontbrak in de eerste vrije training. Hij stond in die sessie zijn Red Bull af aan de Japanse 'rookie' Ayumu Iwasa. De viervoudig wereldkampioen is recordhouder met vijf zeges in de Grote Prijs van Mexico-Stad.

Zaterdag is er eerst nog de derde vrije training, daarna volgt de kwalificatie waarin de coureurs strijden om de beste startplek voor de grand prix op zondag.

A selection of my most recent personal illustrations.